The present invention is generally directed to the production of jewelry and more particularly to a type of jewelry setting method in which support for stones in the jewelry are not visible from the exterior of the jewelry.
Jewelry, such as rings, earrings, pendants, etc. . . . are typically comprised of precious metals such as gold, silver etc., supporting stones, whether non-precious, semi-precious or precious stones such as diamonds. Projecting metal clips or bars typically support and surround the stones sufficiently and visibly so the stones do not fall out.
Stones which have been invisibly set (i.e., the supporting metal is not visible from the external surface) in a metal piece such as gold or platinum have required an all-metal frame prior to setting stones into the piece of jewelry. A typical example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,601. The stones in such settings generally have incisions on one or more sides below the girdle of the stones into which the metal is inserted so that the metal is not externally visible from the top of the jewelry. In this and some of the traditional methods of setting, much time is required to finish one piece of jewelryxe2x80x94sometimes only one or two pieces per day may be finished. Reducing dependence on highly skilled and costly labor of stone setters in the xe2x80x9cinvisiblexe2x80x9d set process and to create less expensive jewelry of such types have been goals of some manufacturers.
A new setting method is available on the market today for setting stones of various shapes such as regular baguettes, rounds, square, princess stones and others by performing the setting in wax. This process employs wax taken out of a rubber mold. One who inserts the stones then casts the piece of jewelry in the lost-wax method of casting. The gold casting would be complete, and the stones would be permanently set in place in the metal.
Much experimentation was undertaken with all-wax invisible set methods prior to arriving at the invention. The all-wax invisible methods, however, were found to be ineffective. In these methods, a rubber mold made from an existing silver model was injected with various waxes (such as plastic waxes and more xe2x80x9cwaxyxe2x80x9d waxes) to arrive at a wax which could be injected into the mold and which would hold up under the pressure of trying to set the stones along a middle bar that would fit into the stone grooves. In the first experiments, a two-row anniversary band about 6 mm wide was used, containing between 18 and 20 princess-cut stones, totaling one carat weightxe2x80x94i.e., each stone weighed approximately five points. These stones were approximately 2 to 2.2 millimeters in diameter. The model included a bar along the side of the outer walls. When the various waxes were removed from the rubber molds, allowed to cool and a very experienced setter attempted to insert the tiny stones into the tiny groove or incision, the center bar (which must be sufficiently thin to slip into the groove of the stone) cracked, moved or bent.
Properly positioning pre-cut stones in an open wax model designed to be invisibly set is extremely difficult and requires a high degree of care to not displace the stones prior to casting. Casting the wax is also extremely difficult, particularly when small stones are used in a pliable material like wax because the center bar or bars which is/are used to support the stones in the invisible setting process were too soft. Furthermore, if the stones in the wax model are not properly set, such defect is not curable without damaging the piece of jewelry.
An object of the invention is therefore to avoid or decrease at least some of these disadvantages of the prior art setting methods.
Another object of the invention is also to improve the lost wax method for casting articles of invisibly set jewelry by reducing the services of highly skilled setting labor.
These and other objects of the invention, which shall be apparent hereafter, are achieved by the present INVISIBLE SETTING METHOD FOR JEWELRY in which a metal bar (or segment) on which stones will be at least partially supported is positioned in a rubber mold for creating a wax pattern of the jewelry, injecting wax to form a wax model of the jewelry including the metal bar to fit into an incision in the stones. The model with the metal bar forms the invisible pre-set stone mount. Stones are then placed into set position in the wax pattern on opposite sides of the metal bar. Once the setting is complete, the jewelry is created using known xe2x80x9clost-waxxe2x80x9d method of manufacturing jewelry.